Favorite or recommended book series?

I would venture to guess a good bit of us out there might like a good book from time to time.

What series of books or just stand alone literature do you like? This thread is to provide a resource for new reading material and a discussion of things we like about those books and things we may not.

So! I'll start off!


The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan (James Oliver Rigney) Far and away my most favored book series. Words cannot express what it means to me, it has gone beyond just words, for it's been with me for a very long time and it's more a part of my life now in ways I can't really get into on this site.

Snow Crash by Niel Stephenson

The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan ( <.< yes, I like it THAT much.)

Ender's Game (and the Ender's series,) by Orson Scott Card

The Lord of The Rings by J. R. R. Tokien

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (If you think this is like the movie, you're in for the biggest surprise of your life.)

Can't think of any more off the top of my head, cept maybe Gelotri's novels but I haven't gotten to those yet

Just a beginning, I'll add more as I can think of them.

Kai-Sun wrote:

Snow Crash by Niel Stephenson

A thousand times this. I love this book.

Also:

The Kenzie/Gennaro series by Dennis Lehane. This is a series of 6 detective novels set in Boston, MA. The entire seeries is hilarious, dark, and increadibly suspensful. Book 1 is called A Drink Before the War

Anything Douglas Adams (just reread The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul)

Anything by Conn Iggulden. The books on Julius Ceasar are good, the ones he did on Genghis Khan though......EPIC.

The Egytian Series by Wilbur Smith are superb.

Anything at all by Michael Connelly.

Man, I love so many authors its not even funny, lol, to try and name them all.....Hmmm....I will have to put a list together of all the books I have, lol, but yeah, the Conn Iggulden ones....Man they are amazing!

I can very much recommend The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.

I'll consider checking out some of your favorites... I'm looking for my next next book.

Oh I forgot. Asimov - any self respecting sci-fi fan MUST read Asimov the gu is awesome the grandfather of sci-fi

Ooh and if you want to read a book that will blow your mind?

I would recommend 'Pyramid' by Tom Martin.

It really makes you think awesome book.

I never read much as a child unless I was forced (A.D.D. kid). But by a provident cut of the cards I was forced to choose from a list of books to read about which I had to write a thesis paper in my senior english literature class.

As I looked through the list I wasn't encouraged but then there it was, The Hobbit.

It took me two weeks to wade through it but I did it. I had never read an entire novel in my life but once i got through it something in me changed. It sparked a hunger in my imagination that i have yet to sate. I've read hundreds upon hundreds of books since then but there is one series of books who's depth touched me in a way I can't explain.

That was the Dragonlance series, the original chronicles.

This genre of books is oft maligned by the literary community but I have found more depth and profundity in Magaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's writing than I have in any classic literature. The satire was genius, the story-telling rich beyond anything I've read before or since. The width and breadth of the world they created is boundless.

I highly recommend this trilogy to anyone and everyone who's literary tastes swing even remotely in that direction.

Lugaidh wrote:

This genre of books is oft maligned by the literary community but I have found more depth and profundity in Magaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's writing than I have in any classic literature. The satire was genius, the story-telling rich beyond anything I've read before or since. The width and breadth of the world they created is boundless.

I highly recommend this trilogy to anyone and everyone who's literary tastes swing even remotely in that direction.

People will always have varying opinions, you have to find what is good to you.

I personally have only read maybe one of the Dragon Lance novels, and I didn't find anything I didn't really like. I'll have to give them a shot.


And the growing list from Lord Spammy pants. This is usually how I grow my book collection. I write a list, then ask for them for christmas and my birthday, should I not feel compelled to buy them before hand. I've got a bookcase full of books waiting to be read, so I'm never at a lack of choice or amount!

I second the Asimov choice. He wrote good books and really good short novels.

I'm adding Gay Gavriel Kay, medieval/fantasy books mixed with politics. Tigana and Song for Arbonne are among my favourite.

Also Weis and Hickman are goddess in their genre. The Dragonlance trilogy should be my next (re)reading project.

Well, when it's done, whatever I'm writing. lol j/k

I've read everything fantasy listed here - I don't do a lot of sci-fi, I tend to stick to fantasy. But I have read some.
(And yes, the Ender series was fairly decent.)

My recommendations....? Are you sure you want to know?

The Elric of Melniboné series by Micheal Moorcock.
The way he got started was rather amusing. Suffice it to say that he (correctly) postulated that "The Hobbit" was a children's tale and was dared to do better. So chapter by chapter he was publishing the Elric story, later to have those 9 stories collaged as the first book of the series. It is a little... darker... than most fantasy.

Another old classic: The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10 by Roger Zelazny.
This is also fantasy, despite the fact that the opening chapters take place in New York.
An extremely well-written, well thought-out body of work.

The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist.
Another impressive body of work.

The Kushiel's Legacy series, by Jaquelin Carey.
This stuff is geared a little more to a female audience, but is still an excellent read regardless of gender.

Lugaidh, as a Weiss/Hickmann fan, I think you would really enjoy these series':
Chronicles of the Cheysuli by Jennifer Roberson.
An excellent series with some surprising depth.

The PERN series by Anne McCaffrey.
While I personally don't agree with her take on dragons, I did read the entire series and was really impressed with her work - she writes the most amazing characters, rich, deep and completely believable. I've yet to read an author with her power to bring alive a fictional person.

I would also recommend all of the Thomas Covenant books by Stephen R. Donaldson. Fantastic stuff. His readers wanted more after the original trilogy so much that he wrote two more. Trilogies, that is.

Apparently I have to stop now, since the board seems to be limited to five links per post.
Sorry for the two without links, but you can easily google them.
If you want any more suggestions -- tell me what you like, or want to read, and I know an author/series for that.


Peace,

Oh, I almost forgot:

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy.

Not for those who like non-stop action, however. Spends a lot of time setting moods.
Still, an awesome read and a stunning first-fantasy launch for him.
(His first book was a children's book).

Velaxi wrote:

Oh, I almost forgot:

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy.

Not for those who like non-stop action, however. Spends a lot of time setting moods.
Still, an awesome read and a stunning first-fantasy launch for him.
(His first book was a children's book).

Still looking into other series that people have posted here, but this is one I forgot to add to my list.

Very enjoyable, I highly recommend it as well!

I second Kai's emphasis of the wheel of time.

But y'all should be ashamed of yourselves for not mentiong:

The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R R Martin.

It begins with "A Game of Thrones" and is currently being made into an HBO mini-series because of it's sheer bad-assery.

It goes back and forth with the Wheel of Time as my favorite and most epic fantasy series of all time. It is more mature than either Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings. But all in good ways. It's a realistic fantasy.

Yeah I never mentioned (a) WoT because of it's sheer popularity and varied opinions.
And (b) Martin's work either, because ...
... IMO, he started off very strong, but as the books go on, the style has changed dramatically.

Personally, I found it got weaker as it went, instead of more immersing, which is what I think he was shooting for.

That said, that's just my opinion, and clearly there are a great many people who disagree.

Kai-Sun wrote:

Velaxi wrote:

Oh, I almost forgot:

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy.

Not for those who like non-stop action, however. Spends a lot of time setting moods.
Still, an awesome read and a stunning first-fantasy launch for him.
(His first book was a children's book).

Still looking into other series that people have posted here, but this is one I forgot to add to my list.

Very enjoyable, I highly recommend it as well!

We share a birthday.
Along with Albert Einstein.

Must be something about the Ides of March and brilliance... you think?
ROFL!

(wiki says "ides" is the 15th, but I was taught when I was young that the "ides" were the 14th -> 17th, as in referring to the middle days of the month, depending on which Roman calendar you are referring to).

Wow, I'm a huge reader so this is a thread that's hard for me to contain my enthusiasm. I agree with a number of the suggestions: Chronicles of Amber, Dragonriders of Pern, Thomas Covenant, Ender's Game, Lord of the Rings, amazing stuff.

Surpised no one mentioned Dune by Frank Herbert yet. As to Heinlein, I'd recommend "Time Enough For Love" although he's written so many great novels. I'd also give Joe Haldeman's "Forever War" a read, very interesting take on war and depending on which edition you get, it ends differently...

Beyond Sci-Fi and Fantasy, I really read any genre as long as the book is well written. Tom Clancy, Steven Coonts, W.E.B. Griffin, Dale Brown for military, John le Carre for spy... if you want to be creeped out, try H.P. Lovecraft. It's hard to sleep after reading his stuff. I'm also a big fan of non-fiction, guess I just love history and biographies.

Lastly, I'll throw in a slightly controversial opinion. While I really enjoyed the Harry Potter books, I wish they had been written by a better author. J.K. Rowling has a wonderful imagination but is an average writer at best. I can only imagine what those books would have been like if written by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian Mays, Anne McCaffrey, or Ursula Le Guin.[left]

I actually mentioned Dune in another post which is why I think I forgot it on this list. I can't say I've read the entire series because it got a bit much for me past...the 5th book? I think.

I haven't read the Potter books to give an opinion, though they don't intrigue me nor do the movies in the slightest.

Kai-Sun wrote:

I actually mentioned Dune in another post which is why I think I forgot it on this list. I can't say I've read the entire series because it got a bit much for me past...the 5th book? I think.

I haven't read the Potter books to give an opinion, though they don't intrigue me nor do the movies in the slightest.

I enjoyed the books. They're sorta like an appetizer on my reading list. They were good when I wanted something light that I could pick up and put down and walk away from. So great books to travel with, since they were simple enough that even though I spent a year without picking it up between reading the first part and the last part, you weren't really losing anything.

The movies, at least, are worth watching. They get better starting at #4, up to that point they're good boredom killers.

After this it took me 10 years to enjoy "Lord of the Rings" again without cackling in the wrong places, but ...

The short single parody "Bored of the Rings" by the Harvard Lampoon (essentially the writers of the movie "Animal House) is probably long out of print, but where else can you can learn the wisdom of the elves through prophecies like "Six-zero your height, One-eighty your weight, You cash in your chips on page 88."

For Star Wars, Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy is great and the sequel pair is nice but his other Star Wars novels don't have that movie feel.

Asimov's "Foundation Trilogy" is a must-read for sci-fi but don't go beyond the three books; when he tries to tie it all together with his other works it's not worth it.

"Watchers" by Dean Koontz isn't a series but a great sci-fi/horor/thriller novel.

I really try to stay away from series now as too often they seem like a book and a half crammed into three.

Stryklone wrote:

The short single parody "Bored of the Rings" by the Harvard Lampoon (essentially the writers of the movie "Animal House) is probably long out of print, but where else can you can learn the wisdom of the elves through prophecies like "Six-zero your height, One-eighty your weight, You cash in your chips on page 88."

Holy cow, someone else who's knows this book! Imagine the trilogy crushed down into 160 pages of parody. Love it!

Another series I meant to mention was Phillip Jose Farmer's "Riverworld". You are in this series... lol.

I'll add a vote to Wheel of Time, to bad he died, but I'm also a huge R.A Salvatore fan, and no not just the Drizzt books, he has several other series like The Demonwars. C.J. Cherryh has some good series.

Bernard Hennen: The Elves series(quite a few books but an enjoyable series)
Markus Heitz: The Dwarves series(same as The Elves, quite a few books)
Phillip Pullman: Nothern Lights Trilogy

I liked Enders Game but the others were just ....

Id like to suggest:
Watchmen
The defining graphic novel of our time, voted number 17 on TIME magazines 100 greatest fiction list.
Brilliant piece of work

My top writer Canavan Trudi: her books are really good magicians guild trilogy is my fav of them.

Surprised none mentioned Robbin Hobb so far ... her books are good but she and Robert Jordan have one thing in common that i really dislike. They describe things to much and to often when i read those books i often end up like... FFS i know her dam hair is blond and her dress is blue you wrote it 89 times in the last chapter!...... well i hope you understand what i mean. When it comes to wheel of time i prefer the last books writen by Brandon over Jordan since he cut down a lill on the describing part.

Twilight series ... yes i like them really good for a vampire story

The books about Eragon ... interesting story and the writer is really growing up the last book was a huge improvement in writing skills over the 2 first .

David Eddings ..... imba is al im gonna say

Nick Perumov and his books about the sorcerer Fess is a good read

Jim Butcher - The Codex of Alera- good stuff

Btw Anyone read teh Discworld series? any good?

The Mass Effect books (Revelation, Ascension and Retribution) are great books for those who love/Like the Mass Effect series. c: